Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Shi Yong's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately scolded, "Nonsense! What are you doing here?"

As he spoke, he strode forward, subtly shielding Ning Che behind him. But the mountain guardians clearly saw his intention and approached almost simultaneously. Ning Che's gaze, however, bypassed them, looking towards the hunting party behind him.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied: some were shocked, some blamed, some were deep in thought, and some were delighted. Only Mancang wore a tense expression, similar to Shi Yong's.

Ning Che withdrew his gaze, sized up the three people in front of him, and said calmly, "This has nothing to do with headhunter Shi Yong. If you have any grievances, feel free to come to me."

Most of the hunting party members exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this. No one had expected that this previously unremarkable boy would dare to step forward at this critical juncture. Several who were familiar with the original owner of this body were even more puzzled, wondering how he could have such audacity to admit to this.

Man Cang's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists, wanting to step forward to protect his second brother. But Shi Yong and the three mountain guardians had already surrounded Ning Che—four cultivators in total. What right did he have to go over there, and who could he possibly protect?

At this time and in this place, no one cared about the struggles of such a minor character as him.

The leader of the guards, a man with a pointed face and monkey-like features, was taken aback at first, then looked Ning Che up and down. He saw that Ning Che was dressed in coarse cloth, thin, and looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, yet showed no fear on his face. The guard hesitated, unsure if Ning Che had some kind of backing that allowed him to act this way.

But the fat woman seemed completely oblivious. Upon hearing this, she sneered again, "I thought you were some fearless creature, but you're just a little bastard who hasn't even grown his first hair. Do you know how precious this seventh-grade talisman is? Even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford to pay for it!"

Another tall man pressed down on the sword at his waist and brazenly approached Ning Che, as if he would immediately take action to arrest him at the leader's command.

Shi Yong's expression changed drastically. He immediately took another half step forward, shielding Ning Che even more completely, and said in a deep voice to the three mountain guards, "I gave him the talisman. If there's anything wrong, come at me. It has nothing to do with a child like him!"

The fat woman immediately retorted, "How impressive! Do you think you can handle this with just your words? If you want to save him, hand him over obediently... otherwise, don't blame us for arresting you both!"

Shi Yong hesitated, then began, "I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Che grabbed his sleeve and interrupted, "How do you know I can't afford to pay?"

His voice remained calm, seemingly brimming with confidence: "My father is Shi Meng, a genius cultivator of the Shi family. My mother is Shi Xiujuan, a shaman recognized by the Great Xia Dynasty. What kind of lowly wretch are you to dare offend me like this?"

"You, how dare you insult me!" The fat woman's expression twisted with anger, her double chin squeezed together, making her large head and ears appear even wider, reminding Ning Che of the bottom of a basin covered in white powder.

Her triangular eyes stared intently at Ning Che's calm, unwavering gaze. Enrage instantly overwhelmed her reason, and she raised her hand to grab Ning Che's face. A pale yellow halo suddenly appeared on her hand as she shrieked, "You little bastard, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Seeing this, Shi Yong's muscles bulged, and he was about to attack. The tall man, however, moved even faster, drawing his sword with a clang to block Shi Yong's path. The cold blade was pointed directly at Shi Yong's way, and he shouted sharply, "What are you doing? Trying to openly attack the officials and defy the mountain guards?"

On the other side, Ning Che's expression also became serious.

This development was not in his plan. He had never fought against human cultivators before, nor did he intend to take the risk at this time. Unfortunately, plans changed again.

Well, when you don't have much to lose, you have to take a gamble.

He cleared his mind of all distractions and focused on fighting his enemy, while his two fleshy palms moved with the wind and arrived in front of him in an instant.

Ning Che used a short, forceful step to shift his body, his upper body twisting slightly to follow the momentum, moving sideways by a foot like a gust of wind gliding across the ground. As he dodged the attack, he raised his palm in front of him with a rather elegant air.

This wasn't to show off, but because Ning Che was afraid that this woman might have some kind of magic that could unleash a "palm wind" or something similar to slit his throat.

But he was overthinking it.

The fat woman was much weaker than he had imagined. She attacked without holding back, throwing all her force into empty air. Her upper body instantly went out of control, and she staggered forward uncontrollably.

Before she could regain her footing and return to defense, Ning Che pressed down with his palm, which had been raised in front of him, and simultaneously stepped forward and hooked his leg.

Before the fat woman could even utter a cry of surprise, she was thrown face down onto the ground with a dull thud, like a sack that had been knocked over.

This scene instantly plunged the entire courtyard into a deathly silence.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the fat woman's painful groans from the ground clearly reaching everyone's ears.

The tall man's pupils contracted sharply, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife tightened instantly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief. He had thought that stopping Shi Yong would solve everything, and hadn't taken this arrogant young man seriously. He never expected that this still-growing boy would defeat a cultivator in a single move.

The leader, a man with a pointed beak, was ashen-faced, a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes quickly replaced by rage. They were officials sent by the city lord's mansion, and their word was law in the surrounding area. Today, in front of a group of peasant hunters, a mere teenager had publicly humiliated their men. If they couldn't regain their dignity, how could they ever establish themselves in this region again?

Shi Yong was also stunned. He had been considering the price he would have to pay to protect Ning Che. He never expected that the boy he wanted to protect would win so easily.

Man Cang wanted to rush forward regardless of the consequences. Even if he were killed, he would die alongside his second brother. No matter what, he couldn't stand by and watch his brother get hurt. But he had only taken two steps forward when he saw Ning Che easily take down the fat woman.

He was somewhat taken aback; the surge of passion he had felt just moments before suddenly seemed to cool down as if blown by a breeze.

"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"

The weasel-faced mountain guard finally forced out the words through gritted teeth, his voice like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on. He stared intently at Ning Che, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent: "To assault and injure an official in public, to defy the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty—I think you're tired of living!"

"Yes!" the tall man echoed, "Anyone who dares to lay a hand on an officer is a rebel. Arrest them immediately; even if they die, it's considered resisting arrest and submitting to the law!"

Shi Yong immediately stepped aside to shield Ning Che, drawing his broadsword from his waist. He slammed the knife into the ground, embedding it three inches deep. He shouted in a deep voice, "What do you want? She attacked first! Xing was just defending herself!"

"Shi Yong, you still dare to protect him?" the sharp-mouthed man threatened sternly. "If you protect him today, we'll take care of you too. You still have family, don't blame us for being ruthless."

The atmosphere instantly became tense, and Mancang finally walked to Ning Che's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the mountain guardian in front of them.